Pilkington said the plane was flying low, with its nose up and tail down.

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Of course, the challenge for airlines, the FAA and travelers will be whether flying will bog down again once traffic picks up with economic recovery.

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When flying using instruments alone, a situation in which clouds and turbulence can confound a pilot's sense of up and down, being able to take in all this information in one glance, instead of three, simplifies the pilot's task.

ECONOMIST: MONITOR